Lahore, Sept 6 : People observing Ramazan fasts in Pakistan are facing an acute shortage of fruits and vegetables and inadequate supply of wheat flour. In Lahore it seems as if onions have been non-existent at the Ramazan bazaars, and potatoes and tomatoes being available at rates higher than those approved by the government.

While bananas are not available, grapes are available only at Rs 190 per kg, reported the Daily Times.

Washington, Sept 6 : US military officials have reportedly said that strikes in Pakistan’s FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) will increase in the coming months as “such cross-border raids were necessary” to counter increasing violence in Afghanistan.

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the cross-border US commando missions, like Wednesday’s strike in Wana killing around 20 civilians, into Pakistan may grow in coming months despite doubts within the Pentagon over the efficacy of such raids.

Pentagon officials who spoke to Los Angeles Times said that some officials in the US Defence Department believed such commando raids were necessary to counter increasing violence in Afghanistan.

Karachi, Sept 6: A senior PPP member of the Sindh Provincial Assembly Ruqqaya Soomro reached the Assembly on stretcher to cast her vote in the ongoing presidential poll today.

According to The News, Soomro, a former Member of National Assembly (MNA) and now a sitting member of the Sindh Assembly, was the first lawmaker to come to the Assembly lying on a stretcher to cast her vote and set an example for others, despite her severe illness.

Meanwhile, voting is continuing in the National Assembly in Islamabad and all the four Provincial Assemblies, namely Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan, to elect the next president of the country.

Polling began at 1010 am and would continue till 3:00 pm without break.

Lahore, Sept 6: Ahead of the much anticipated win of their party’s Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in today’s presidential poll, the PPP workers have made elaborate arrangements to celebrate the victory in advance.

After visiting the shrine of Data Ganj Bakhsh at 4.00 pm today, a large number of PPP workers will distribute sweets after Iftar this evening. Later in the night, there will be illumination and display of fireworks at PPP offices, the Dawn quoted the elated PPP workers as saying.

Islamabad, Sept 6: Amid intense fighting going on between the Pakistan forces and militants in the Bajaur Agency district in north Pakistan, hordes of people have started begun fleeing the area to safer places. So far, nearly two lakh people have fled their villages in the Bajaur Agency, said an official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Washington, Sept 6 : As PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardrai is all set to win today’s Pakistan presidential poll, the White House has said that it expected the winner to cooperate in the fight against terrorism.

A White House spokesman said that Washington would continue to work with the next Pakistan President and would also like to have his co-operation in its ongoing global war-on-terror.